High security, card operable magnetic lock

ABSTRACT

Card operable magnetic lock having tumbler-carrying core sandwiched between two lock plates. The lock plates have locking openings therein adapted to receive the ends of the tumbler magnets carried by the core to prevent relative sliding movement between the core and the lock plates. The pattern of locking openings in the lock plates are complementary in that each locking opening in each lock plate is in alignment with a solid structure or &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;non-opening&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; in the other lock plate. A magnetic sheet attracts the tumbler magnets toward one of the locking plates to seat at least one of the magnets in the locking opening in that locking plate, and a card slot disposed between the magnetic sheet and the locking plate is adapted to receive a coded magnetic card having magnetized spots thereon for attracting and/or repelling the tumbler magnets out of the locking openings in the locking plates to permit relative sliding movement between the core and the plates. In one alternative embodiment the locking plates are removable. In another alternative embodiment such locking plate is provided with a full matrix of locking openings and shields having complementary patterns of holes are provided for coding the lock. The lock is particularly suited for use in conjunction with door striker release mechanisms, padlocks and other devices which preclude the lock from being mounted in a horizontal position.

United States Patent [191 Sedley 51 Sept. 10, 1974 1 HIGH SECURITY, CARD OPERABLE MAGNETIC LOCK Bruce S. Sedley, Larkspur, Calif.

[73] Assignee: Greer Hydraulics, Inc., Los Angeles,

Calif.

22 Filed: Sept. 21, 1972 21 Appl. No.: 290,861

175] Inventor:

[52] US. Cl. 70/38 C, 70/276, 70/387,

70/448, 70/451, 292/34l.17 [51] Int. Cl E051) 47/00 [58] Field of Search 70/276, 413, 448, DIG. 34,

Primary Examiner-Joseph H. McGlynn Assistant Examiner- -Richard P. Tremblay Attorney, Agent, or F irm-Kendrick & Subkow [57] ABSTRACT Card operable magnetic lock having tumbler-carrying core sandwiched between two lock plates. The lock plates have locking openings therein adapted to receive the ends of the tumbler magnets carried by the core to prevent relative sliding movement between the core and the lock plates. The pattern of locking openings in the lock plates are complementary in that each locking opening in each lock plate is in alignment with a solid structure or non-opening in the other lock plate. A magnetic sheet attracts the tumbler magnets toward one of the locking plates to seat at least one of the magnets in the locking opening in that locking plate, and a card slot disposed between the magnetic sheet and the locking plate is adapted to receive a coded magnetic card having magnetized spots thereon for attracting and/or repelling the tumbler magnets out of the locking openings in the locking plates to permit relative sliding movement between the core and the plates.

In one alternative embodiment the locking plates are removable. In another alternative embodiment such locking plate is provided with a full matrix of locking openings and shields having complementary patterns .of holes are provided for coding the lock.

The lock is particularly suited for use in conjunction with door striker release mechanisms, padlocks and other devices which preclude the lock from being mounted in a horizontal position.

20 Claims, 19 Drawing Figures sum urs PAIENIEB I 01974 PAIENTEW 1 men 3.894. 1 9? sum 2 ur 's mg: 52 yea /70' i w 654 5a N "70 1 70- HIGH SECURITY, CARD OPERABLE MAGNETIC LOCK INTRODUCTION The present invention relates to card operable magnetic locks of the type having magnetic locking tumblers disposed in a slidable core and adapted to be displaced by a coded magnetic card.

Card operable magnetic locks/such as those disclosed in US. Pat. Nos. 2,648,729; 3,444,711 and 3,705,277 (US. Pat. application Ser. No. 145,701) have been widely used for operating barriers (e.g., parking lot gates, turnstiles, doors, etc.) in various types of access control systems. Such a lock typically comprises a core which carries a plurality of magnetic tumbler pins arranged in a predetermined pattern, and one or more lock plates provided with a plurality of openings for receiving the ends of the tumbler pins. The ends of all or some of the tumbler pins are normally biased into some of the locking openings to prevent relative movement between the core and the lock plate. When a magnetically-coded pass card (Le, a card having magnetic areas or elements arranged in a pattern corresponding to the pattern of the tumbler pins which extend into the lock plate openings) is inserted into the lock it displaces the tumbler pins from the openings in the lock plate and moves the core or the lock plate to actuate a switch, open a barrier and permit access to a restricted area (e.g., parking lot, convention center, industrial plant, private club, etc.).

The card operable magnetic lock of the present invention is particularly adapted for use in environments where heretofore available card operable magnetic locks have not been practical or feasible, such as in conjunction with hotel and motel room locks. In recent years, security problems have arisen in hotels and motels due to guests failure to return their room key when leaving the hotel. While the advantages of employing card operable magnetic locks in hotels and motels (e.g., the relatively low cost of the cards and the security provided by the numerous card codes that can be used) have been recognized, no such lock has heretofore been designed which meets the reliability, security, operational, installation, maintenance and cost criteria for hotel and motel room use.

The card operable magnetic lock of the present invention meets those criteria. It is adapted to be installed in a vertical position on a door jamb to effectively and reliably operate a striker release mechanism without interfering with normal operation of the door knob mechanism. It may be installed quickly and inexpensively and occupies very little space. It is adapted to be operated or unlocked by coded magnetic cards which offer countless different codes and which are vir tually impossible to counterfeit. The lock is designed so that master cards may be coded for operating all of the locks of a given group (e. g., all of the locks in a particular hotel or a given floor of the hotel). The cards are so inexpensive that they are disposable, but they may be retained for re-use and may be recoded.

The magnetic lock of the present invention is also adapted for use in numerous other installations where it may not be mounted in a horizontal position, including portable devices, such as padlocks.

Numerous other features and advantages of the present invention will be realized from the following detailed description of four preferred embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a door knob assembly employing a preferred embodiment of the improved magnetic locking device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional plan view of, the assembly shown in FIG. 1, taken alongthe plane 22,of FIG. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 3 is a sectional elevation view taken along the plane 3-3 of FIG. 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows, showing the striker release actuating arm and the cover retaining mechanism of the assembly shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. V

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the embodiment of the improved magnetic locking device shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a sectional elevation view of the locking device shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 before a pass card has been inserted therein.

FIG. 6 is a sectional elevation view of the locking device shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 with an improperly coded pass card inserted therein.

FIG. 7 is a sectional elevation view of the locking device illustrated in FIGS. 2 and4 with a properly coded pass card inserted therein.

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of a second preferred embodiment of the improved magnetic locking device of the present invention wherein the locking plates are removable.

FIG. 9 is a sectional elevation view of the locking device shown in FIG.- 8 with an improperly coded pass card inserted therein.

FIG. 9A is a sectional elevation view similar to FIG. 9 with a properly coded pass card inserted therein.

FIG. 10 is a sectional elevation view of the locking device shown in FIGS. 8, 9 and 9A with a properly coded pass card inserted therein and pushed forwardly to move the core of the lock to its unlocked position.

FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of a third embodiment of the improved locking device of the present invention which employs removable shields in conjunction with non-removable locking plates for setting the lock code.

FIG. 12 is a sectional elevation view of the locking device shown in FIG. 11 before a pass card has been inserted therein.

FIG. 13 is a sectional elevation view of the locking device shown in FIG. 11 with a properly coded pass card inserted therein and pushed forwardly to move the locking plates to their unlocked position.

FIG. 14 is 'a sectional elevation view of the locking device shown in FIG. 11 with an improperly coded pass card inserted therein.

FIG. 15 is a sectional elevation view of the locking I device shown in FIG. 11 and illustrating one way of changing the code of the device. v

FIG. 16 is a sectional front elevation view of a padlock which utilizes a fourth embodiment of the improved locking device of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a sectional plan view of the padlock shown 3 in FIG. 16, taken along the plane 17-17 of FIG. 16 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 18 is a sectional side elevation view of the padlock shown in FIG. 16, taken along the plane 18-18 of FIG. 16 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiment of FIGS. 1-7

FIGS. 1-7 show a first embodiment of the improved magnetic locking device of the present invention and the manner in which the device may be employed in conjunction with a conventional door knob mechanism to provide an effective and relatively inexpensive magnetic card-operable magnetic door lock.

As best shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an improved magnetic locking device 20 constructed according to the present invention is secured to a door jamb 22 directly adjacent to the outside door knob 24. The forward end 26 of the locking device 20 overlies the opening 28 in the door jamb 22 which houses a striker mechanism 30 and a striker release mechanism 32 and the rear end 31 extends slightly beyond the outside molding 33 of the jamb. The locking device 20 is adapted to operate the striker release mechanism 32 when a properly coded magnetic card 80 is inserted therein, as described in detail below.

Details of the structure of the magnetic locking device 20 are best shown in the exploded perspective view of FIG. 4. The device 20 houses a cartridge 21 which includes a generally planar core 36 slidably sandwiched between a pair of lock plates or keeper plates 38, 38. A pair of spacer bars 40, 40 are provided between the upper edges and the lower edges of the lock plates 38, 38 to provide the slot in which the core 36 is adapted to slide. An outer plate 41 is provided adjacent the outer face of the lock plate 38".

The cartridge 21 also includes a base plate 42 and a pair of spacer bars 44, 44 define a card-receiving slot 46 on one side of the lock plate 38 for receiving a magnetic pass card 80. The base plate 42 is preferably made of a magnetic material, such as iron or steel, so that it will tend to attract tumbler magnets 68 and 68 in a manner and for a purpose described in detail hereinafter.

The entire cartridge, including the core 36, the spacer bars 40, 40, the lock plates 38, 38', the spacer bars 44, 44, the outer plate 41 and the base plate 42, is encased in a generally rectilinear housing formed by a mounting plate 52 and a cover plate 54 which is adapted to slidably fit on the mounting plate. As best shown in FIG. 4, the outer plate 41, the lock plate 38', the core spacer bars 40, 40 the lock plate 38, the card slot spacer bars 44, 44 and the base plate 42 are secured together to form the cartridge 21 by means of 55 screws 58 which extend through aligned apertures 59 in the corners of the outer plate 41, apertures 39 in the comers of the lock plate 38', apertures 40a in the ends of core spacer bars 40, 40, apertures 39 in the corners of lock plate 38, apertures 45 in the ends of the card slot spacer bars 44, 44 and apertures 43 in the comers of the base plate 42.

The mounting plate 52 is secured to the door jamb 22 by means of screws 56 (FIGS. 2, 3 and 4). The cartridge 21 is mounted on the mounting plate 52 by means of mounting pins 60, 60 which are received in holes 62, 62 in the base plate 42 and aligned holes 64, 64 in the card slot spacer bars 44, 44. The cartridge 21 is maintained on the mounting pins of the mounting plate 52 by the cover plate 54 which is slidably secured on the mounting plate by means of a tongue and groove structure and a latch described in detail hereinafter.

A plurality of transversely extending holes 66, 66 and 66, 66' provided in the core 36 carry magnetic pins or tumblers 68, 68 and 68, 68', respectively. The tumblers 68, 68, 68', 68 are magnets which are magnetized along their lengths with a north pole at one end and a south pole at the other end. These tumbler magnets are generally cylindrical in shape and are slidably disposed in their respective holes in the core 36 for transverse sliding movement. In the example shown in FIGS. 47, each of the tumbler magnets 68 and 68 is disposed in its respective hole 66 in the core 36 with its direction of polarity extending opposite to the direction of polarity of the tumbler magnets 68' and 68. In other words, if the tumbler magnets 68, 68 are inserted in the holes 66, 66 in the core 36 with their north poles facing the lock plate 38 and their south poles facing lock plate 38', the tumbler magnets 68', 68 would be inserted in their holes 66', 66' in core 36 so that their north poles face lock plate 38' and their south poles face lock plate 38. The tumbler magnets 68', 68' have been shaded in FIG. 4 to depict that their direction of polarity is opposite to that of magnets 68, 68.

The keeper or lock plates 38, 38' are provided with wells or depressions 70, 70 and 70, 70' respectively, each depression being in substantial transverse alignment with one of the holes 66 or 66' and one of the tumbler magnets 68 or 68' in the slidable core 36 for receiving an end portion of one of the magnetic tumblers. If one or more of the magnetic tumblers, 68 or 68, extends into its associated depression 70 in one of the lock plates 38 or 38', the core is locked in place, i.e., the core 36 cannot be slid relative to the lock plates. If none of the tumblers 68 or 68 extend into any of the depressions 70 or 70 the core 36 may be slid relative to the lock plates 38, 38' to actuate the striker release mechanism 32 (FIG. 2) in a manner described more fully hereinafter.

It will be noted that neither depression 70 in lock plate 38 is in alignment with a depression 70' in lock plate 38', and vice versa. Thus, each tumbler magnet can be biased to a position which will not interfere with sliding movement of the core 36.

It is contemplated that the lock plates may be provided with holes, in place of depressions 70, 70 and 70, 70', for receiving the ends of tumblers 68, 68 and 68', 68, such as the holes in the lock plates in the embodiments of FIGS. 8-10, 11-15 and 16-18 described be low. Alternatively, any other type of structure which will engage the tumblers and prevent sliding movement of the core 36 may be employed on lock plates 38 and 38.

The magnetic tumblers 68, 68 and 68', 68' may be moved out of their respective depressions 70, 70 and 70', 70 in the lock plates 38 and 38 by means of a properly magnetically-coded pass card, such as the card shown in FIGS. 2, 4, and 7. A properly coded pass card is a pass card which has magnetic spots or areas which will align with the magnetic tumblers 68 and 68' to attract or repel the tumblers out of their associated depressions in the lock plates. With all of the magnetic tumblersmagnetically biased to positions out of engagement with their respective depressions, the pass card 80 may be pushed against a flange 72 on the forward end of the core 36 which overlies the end of card slot 46. When the flange 72 is moved forwardly, it will actuate the striker release mechanism 32 (FIG. 2).

FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 illustrate the positions of the tumbler magnets 68, 68 and 68', 68' when there is no card in the cartridge 20 (FIG. 5), when an improperly coded card has been inserted in the cartridge (FIG. 6) and when a properly coded card (such as pass card 80) has been inserted and pushed forwardly to move the core 36 to its unlocked position (FIG. 7).

Referring to FIG. 5, when there is no pass card in the card slot 46 of cartridge 20 all of the tumblers 68,68 and 68, 68 are biased toward the lock plate 38 by the iron or steel base plate 42 and the north ends of the tumblers 68, 68 extend into the depressions 70, 70 in the lock plate 38 to prevent sliding movement of the core 36 relative to the lock plates.

It is contemplated that the base plate 42 may be eliminated entirely from the cartridge 20, if desired. If the base plate 42 is eliminated, the mounting plate 52 should be made of a suitable magnetic material, such as steel, so that it will perform the function of biasing tumbler magnets 68, 68 into depressions 70, 70 when there is no properly coded pass card in the card slot 46.

In order to move the core 36 relative to the lock plates 38, 38 it is necessary to move the tumblers 68, 68 away from the lock plate 38 and the depressions 70, 70 therein without moving the tumblers 68', 68' into the depressions 70', 70 in the lock plate 38. This may be accomplished only by means of a properly coded magnetic pass card, such as pass card 80 shown in cross-section in FIG. 7.

The magnetic pass card 80 is of the type shown and described in US. Pat. No. 3,611,763. The card 80 includes a relatively thin sheet 82 of plasticized binder material having ferromagnetic particles suspended therein, such as a bonded barium ferrite composite material. The composite sheet 82 is preferably sandwiched between two cover sheets 84, 84 and has selected discrete areas or spots 86, 86 and 86', 86' magnetized in a direction perpendicular to the faces of the sheet 82 so that opposite poles of each such spot 86 or 86' extend to opposite faces of the sheet 82. The card 80 is coded so that the spots 86, 86 and 86', 86? align with tumbler magnets 68, 68 and 68, 68', respectively, when the card 80 is inserted into slot 46, and the directions of polarity of the spots 86, 86 and 86', 86' is such that spots 86, 86 will repel tumblers 68, 68 away from lock plate 38 and the depressions 70, 70 therein, and magnetized spots 86, 86' will attract tumblers 68', 68' away from lock plate 38 and the depressions 70', 70 therein. For example, since the tumbler magnets 68 and 68 are positioned so that their north ends face the lock plate 38 and the tumbler magnets 68', 68' are positioned so that their north ends face the lock plate 38', the spots 86, 86 should be magnetized so that their north ends face the north ends of tumblers 68, 68 (to repel tumblers 68, 68) and the spots 86', 86' should be magnetized so that their north ends face the south ends of tumblers 68', 68 (to attract tumblers 68', 68').

FIG. 7 illustrates how properly coded pass card 80 will unlock the cartridge 20 and permit sliding movement of the core 36 relative to the lock plates 38, 38'. When the pas card 80 is inserted into the card slot 46 its magnetized spots 86, 86 and 86', 86 align with the magnetic tumblers 68, 68 and 68', 68, respectively, with the north ends of spots 86, 86 facing the north ends of tumblers 68, 68 to repel the tumblers 68, 68 out of engagement with the depressions 70, 70 in lock plate 38, and with the north ends of spots 86, 86 facing the south ends of tumblers 68, 68 to attract the tumblers 68, 68' out of engagement with the depressions 70', 70' in the lock plate 38'.

It shouldbe noted that the iron or steel base plate 42 acts as a keeper for the magnetized areas or spots of an coded card inserted into the slot 46 and makes the spots significantly stronger.

With the tumblers 68, 68 and 68, 68' repelled and attracted, respectively, out of engagement with their associated depressions 70, 70 and 70, 70 in lock plates 38 and 38', respectively, the pass card may be pushed against the flange 72 on the core 36 to slide the core forwardly and actuate any suitable mechanism, v

such as the striker release mechanism 32 (FIG. 2).

A suitable indicator, such as arrow 88 (FIG. 4) may be provided on one end of the card 80 to indicate the end of the card which should be inserted into the cartridge 20. Other indicia (not shown) may be printed on the card to indicate which way the card 80 should face. However, in some installations it may be desirable to have the pass cards unlock the cartridge 20 regardless of which way the card faces when inserted into the cartridge. In such cases the pass cards should have two sets of spots magnetized thereon so that one set of spots will repel and attract the tumbler magnets 68, 68 and 68', 68 out of engagement with their associated depressions 70, 70 and 70, 70 in the lock plates 38, 38' when the card 80 is facing one way (e.g., with the arrow facing lock plate 38), and the other set of spots will do the same when the card is facing the other way (e.g., with the arrow 88 facing base plate 42). This may be accomplished by having each spot of the second set located on the card is symmetry to a corresponding spot of the first set, relative to the longitudinal centerline L of the card (FIG. 4) and the transverse centerline T, but with an opposite direction of polarity. For example, the spots 860, 860 and 860', 860' on the card 80 (FIG. 4) will unlock the cartridge 20 if the card is inserted in the slot 46 with the arrow facing toward the base plate 42. The spots 860, 860 are symmetrically located on the card, about centerlines L and T, relative to spots 86 and 86, and are magnetized with an opposite direction of polarity; and the spots 860', 860 are symmetrically located relative to spots 86', 86, with an opposite direction of polarity. Thus, the card 80 will unlock the lock 20 when inserted therein regardless of which way it faces, because one of the sets of spots (86, 86' or 860, 860') will necessarily align with the tumbler magnets 68, 68' so as to attract and repel them out of their associated locking holes 70, 70' in locking plates 38, 38'.

It will also be noted that the lock 20 is so constructed that it may be mounted on either the right or left side of a door jamb, depending upon which side the door is hinged, without modification. This feature, together with the symmetrical card coding feature described above, permits a properly-coded card to operate the lock regardless of which side of the door jamb the lock is mounted.

Of course, it is contemplated that magnetic or magnetically responsive cards other than the card 80 may be employed to operate the cartridge 21.

FIG. 6 illustrates why an improperly coded pass card 180 will not unlock the cartridge 21. Since the card 180 does not have magnetized spots in alignment with the tumblers 68, 68, the tumblers are attracted toward magnetic base plate 42 and into the depressions 70, 70 in the lock plate thereby preventing sliding movement of the core 36. In addition, the magnetized spots 186', 186' which align with tumblers 68', 68' and have their south poles facing the south poles of the tumblers, repel those tumblers into depressions 70', 70' in the lock plate 38' to further prevent sliding movement of the core 36. It will be noted that the absence of a properly magnetized spot opposite either of tumblers 68 or 68 prevents unlocking of the cartridge.

Referring now to FIGS. l-3 which show the improved magnetic locking device of FIGS. 4-7 installed adjacent a door jamb 22 for operating the striker release mechanism 32 of door striker 30, an opening 100 is provided in the forward portion of the mounting plate 52 for receiving the end portion of a pivotably mounted striker release actuator arm 102. When a properly coded pass card 80 is inserted into the card slot 246 of cartridge 20 and pushed forwardly, it will pivot the actuator arm 102 in a counterclockwise direction (as viewed in FIG. 2) to move a spring-loaded actuator pin 103 forwardly. Forward movement of the actuator pin 103 pivots a locking lever= 105 in a counterclockwise direction (as viewed in FIG. 2) against the action of a leaf spring 107 to release the holding pressure on a lever 109 and the striker 30, whereby forward (opening) pressure on the door 114 and bolt 112 will pivot the striker out of the way and permit the card holder to push the door 114 open.

After the card holder opens the door and releases the card 80, the leaf spring 107 will re-lock the striker 30, and the spring-loaded actuator pin 103 will force the actuator arm 102 and the core flange 72 rearwardly to eject the card 80 from the lock. When the card 80 is removed the tumbler magnets 68, 68 will be attracted toward the iron base plate 42 and into the depressions 70, 70 in lock plate 38 to lock the cartridge 21.

It will be noted that the locking device 20 and the striker release mechanism 32 do not interfere in any way with the door knob mechanism of the door 114. The door 114 may be opened in the conventional manner by turning the unlocked outside door knob 24 or the inside door knob 116 to retract the door latch 112 in the conventional manner. The door knob mechanism may be provided with the conventional privacy pushbutton type lock 117 (FIG. 2) and key slot 119 (FIG. 1) for locking and unlocking the door 114 in the conventional manner, and the improved locking device 20 and striker release mechanism 32 will not interfere with operation or use of this conventional locking arrangment.

It is also to. be noted that installation of the locking device 20 and the striker release mechanism 32 may be quickly and inexpensively accomplished without any modification or alteration to the door 114 or the door knob mechanism. To install the locking device 20 and the striker release mechanism 32 in a typical door jamb, the old striker plate is removed from the door jamb 22 and a slot 118 (see FIG. 1) is cut in the door stopper 120 to accommodate the cartridge 20. The opening 28 (FIG. 2) in the door jamb 22 and the adjacent wall 122 is then enlarged to accommodate the striker release mechanism 32. The striker release mechanism 32 is then installed in the opening 28 and the mounting plate 52 is secured to the door jamb 22 by means of screws 56 (see FIG. 3). Next, the assembled cartridge 21, (including the outer plate 41, the lock 38', the core spacer bars 40, 40, the core 36 with magnet tumblers 68, 68' therein, the lock plate 38, the card slot spacer bars 44, 44 and the base plate 42 secured together in sandwich fashion by screws 58) is placed on the mounting pins 60, 60 of the mounting plate 52 and the cover plate 54 is mounted on the mounting plate over the cartridge.

As best shown in FIG. 3, the cover plate 54 is slidably mounted on the mounting plate 52 by means of a tongue and groove arrangment comprising grooves 136 and 138 in the top and bottom walls 140 and 142, re-

spectively, of the cover plate 54, and tongues 144 and 146 on the top and bottom edges of the mounting plate 52. The cover plate 54 is mounted on the mounting plate 52 over the cartridge 21, by simply aligning the tongues 144 and 146 with the grooves 136 and 138, respectively, and sliding the cover plate forwardly until the slotted rear end wall 150 (FIG. 1) thereof engages the rear edge 152 (FIG. 4) of the mounting plate 52 and the forward edges of the top and bottom walls 140, 142 of the cover plate engage and fit flush over the forward end wall 128 of the mounting plate.

It is contemplated that the outer plate 41 may be eliminated and the cartridge 21 may be secured directly to the cover plate 54. In that case the mounting plate 52 would not be provided with registration pins 60.

As best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the spring-loaded latch 126 is integrally connected to a post 130 which is received in a-hole (not numbered) in the forward end wall 128 of the mounting plate 52. The latch 126 is normally urged to a horizontal position (see FIG. 3) by means of a spring 127 so that the outer end thereof ex tends into a slot 132 in the forward end portion of the inside face of the cover plate 54 to prevent relative sliding movement between the cover plate 54 and the mounting plate 52.

As best shown in FIG. 2, the post 130 of the latch 126 is provided with an opening 154 for receiving a special tool (e.g., an Allen wrench) to facilitate rotation of the latch 126 and releasing the cover plate 54 when such is desired (e.g., to replace the cartridge by one having a different code). The post 130 is retained in its hole in the forward end wall 128 of the mounting plate 52 by means of a pin 131 which permits rotation of the post while preventing the post from sliding out of the hole.

Of course, it is contemplated that the locking cartridge 21 illustrated in FIGS. 2-7 may be employed in numerous other installations, other than in conjunction with the striker release mechanism illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. Similarly, it is contemplated that other types of locking cartridges, other than the specific cartridge 21 illustrated in FIGS. 1-7, may be employed with the improved striker release mechanism shown in FIG. 2.

Embodiments bf FIGS. 8-10 FIGS. 8, 9 and 10 show a second preferred embodiment of a magnetic locking device, 220, constructed according to the teachings of the present invention. The device 220 includes a generally planar core 236 slidably sandwiched between a non-magnetic base plate. 242 and an outer plate 254. A pair of spacer bars 240, 240 are provided between the upper edges and the lower edges of the base plate 242 and the outer plate 254 to provide a slot in which the core 236 is slidable.

Four annular spacer washers 239 are disposed between the four corners of the base plate 242 and the ends of core spacer bars 240, 240 to provide a slot adjacent one face of core 236 for receiving a removable lock plate or keeper plate 238; and four spacer washers 239 are disposed between the ends of spacer bars 240, 240 and the four corners of the outer plate 254 to provide a slot adjacent the other face of core 236 for receiving a second removable lock plate 238'. The lock plates 238 and 238' may be quickly and easily removed from the locking device 220 and replaced in a manner described in detail below to change the code or combination of the lock without disassembling the lock and without changing the location or polarity of any of the magnetic pins or tumblers 268, 268 in the core 236. A slot 235 (FIG. 8) is provided in the bottom edge of each lock plate to insure that the plate is properly inserted in the lock. The slot 235 in plate 238' is adapted to receive the lower, right washer 239 (as viewed in FIG. 4) when the plate is properly inserted in the plate; and a similar slot in the bottom edge of plate 238 (not shown) is adapted to receive the lower, right washer 239.

The base plate 242 and a pair of generally L-shaped spacer bars 244, 244 define a card-receiving slot 246 adjacent the face of base plate 242 opposite the lock plate 238 for receiving a magnetic pass card 280.

Screws 258 (FIG. 8) extend through aligned apertures in the corners of the outer plate 254, spacer slugs 239', the ends of the core spacer bars 240, 240, spacer slugs 239, the corners of the base plate 242 and the ends of card slot spacer bars 244, 244 to secure these members together and form a cartridge 221.

Registration pins 260, 260 on a mounting plate 252 cooperate with aligned holes (not visible) in the base plate 242 and holes 264, 264 in the card slot spacer bars 244, 244 to mount the cartridge 221 on the mounting plate 252, and a cover plate (not shown) may be slidably mounted on the mounting plate and over the cartridge sandwich by means of tongues 344 (FIG. 8) on the top and bottom edges of the face plate and cooperating grooves (not visible; like the grooves in the cover plate 54 shown in FIG. 3) on the top and bottom walls of the cover plate. The mounting plate 252, like the mounting plate 52 in the embodiment of FIGS. 1-7 has a forward end wall 328 provided with a spring loaded latch mechanism 326 (FIG. 8) for securing the cover plate (not shown) on the mounting plate 252 over the cartridge 221.

A cut-out portion 300 may be provided in the mounting plate to accommodate the end of a lever 302 for actuating a striker release mechanism (such as the striker release mechanism 32 shown in FIG. 2, for example) if the device 220 is to be used in conjunction with a door release mechanism.

A complete matrix oftransversely extending holes are provided in the core 236. At least two of the holes, 266 and 266', carry magnetic pins or tumblers 268 and 268', respectively (FIGS; 9 and 10). The tumblers 268, 268, like the tumblers 68 and 68' of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-7 are magnets which are magnetized along their lengths with opposite poles at opposite ends of each magnet. These tumbler magnets are generally cylindrical in shape and are slidably disposed in their respective holes 266, 266' in the core 236 for transverse sliding movement. By way of example, the tumbler magnets 268 and 268 are disposed in their respective holes 266 and 266' in the core 236 with their directions of polarity extending in opposite directions. Thus, shown for example in FIGS. 9, 9A and 10, if the tumbler magnet 268 is inserted in the hole 266 with its north pole facing the lock plate 238 and its south pole facing lock plate 238', the tumbler magnet 268 is inserted in its hole 266' in core 236 so that its north pole faces lock plate 238' and its south pole faces lock plate 238.

The lock plates 238, 238 are provided with locking holes 270 and 270', respectively, each hole being in substantial transverse alignment with one of the holes in the slidable core 236. It should be noted that the holes 270, 270' in the lock plates 238, 238' are complementary; that is, there is no hole in either plate 238 or 238' which is in alignment with a hole 270 or 270 in the other plate. It will also be noted that all of the holes 270, 270 are the same size or diameter.

If one or both of the magnetic tumblers 268 or 268' (FIG. 9) extends into its associated locking hole 270 or 270 in one of the lock plates 238 or 238', the core 236 is locked in place, i.e., the core 236 cannot be slid relative to the lock plates. If neither of the tumblers 268 or 268' extends into its associated locking hole 270 or 270' the core 236 may be slid relative to the lock plates.

238, 238' to actuate any suitable mechanism (such as the striker release mechanism 32 of FIG. 2, for example).

Of course, it is contemplated that the lock plates 238, 2387 may be provided with depressions or wells in place of holes 270, 270, for receiving the ends of tumblers 268 and 268', such as the depressions shown, for example, in the embodiment of FIGS. 1-7 described above. Alternatively, any other type of structure which will engage the tumblers and prevent sliding movement of the core 236 may be provided on the lock plates.

When the magnetic locking cartridge 220 is to be used in the installation where the disposition of the cartridge is vertical, such as in conjunction with a door striker release mechanism of the type shown in FIG. 2, it is desirable to use a sheet of magnetic biasing material, such as iron or steel sheet 296 to bias the tumbler magnet 268 into its associated hole 270 in the lock plate 238. The provision of such a biasing sheet 296 eliminates the possibility that both of the tumbler magnets 268, 268' will remain in a central position in the core 236, out of the locking holes 270, 270 in the lock plates 238, 238'.

The biasing sheet 296 is preferably disposed in the card slot 246, and, as shown in FIG. 8, may be maintained therein by bending the rear edge of the sheet down and under the L-shaped card slot spacer bars 244, 244'. I

When there is no pass card in the card slot 246 of cartridge 220, both of the tumblers 268 and 268' will be.

biased toward the lock plate 238 by the magnetic biasing sheet 296 and the north end of the tumbler 268 will extend intothe keeper hole 270 in the lockplate 238 to prevent sliding movement of the core 236 relative to able magnetic material which will function to attract the tumbler magnet 268.

Before proceeding to a description of the operation of the locking device of FIGS. 8-10, it should be noted that it is only by way of example and for the sake of convenience of description that only two tumbler magnets 268, 268' are shown in the embodiment of FIGS. 8-10. More tumblers, up to thirty or more, limited only by the size of the core 236 and the number of holes in the core, may be employed. Of course, the size of the core 236 and the number of holes 266 therein must be such that there is sufficient spacing between the tumbler magnets to prevent magnetic interaction therebetween.

The magnetic tumblers 268 and 268 may be moved out of their respective holes 270 and 270' in the lock plates 238 and 238 by means of a properly magnetically-coded pass card, such as the card 280 shown in FIG. 10. A properly coded pass card is a pass card which has magnetic spots or areas which will align with the magnetic tumblers 268 and 268 to attract or repel the tumblers out of their associated holes in the lock plates 238, 238'. With all of the magnetic tumblers magnetically biased to positions out of engagement with their respective holes in the lock plates, the pass card 280 may be pushed against the flange 272 on the forward end of the core 36 to move the flange forwardly and actuate any suitable switch or other mechanism with which the cartridge 220 is being employed (e.g., the striker release mechanism 32 of FIG. 2).

The magnetic pass card 280 (like the pass card 80 shown in conjunction with the embodiment of FIGS. 1-7) may be of the type shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,61 L763. The card 280 includes a relatively thin sheet 282 of plasticized binder material having ferromagnetic particles suspended therein, such as a bonded barium ferrite composite material. The composite sheet 282 is preferably sandwiched between two cover sheets 284, 284 and has selected discrete areas or spots 286 and 286' magnetized in a direction perpendicular to the faces of the sheet 282 so that opposite poles of each such spot 286 or 286' extend to opposite faces of the sheet 282. The card 280 is coded so that the spots 286 and 286 align with tumbler magnets 268 and 268', respectively, when the. card 280 is inserted into slot 246, and the directions of polarity of the spots 286 and 286' are such that spot 286 will repel tumblers 268 away from lock plate 238 and the locking hole'270 therein, and magnetized spot 286 will attract tumblers 268 away from the lock plate 238' and the locking hole 270 therein. For example, since the tumbler magnet 268 is positioned so that its north end faces the lock plate 238, and the tumbler magnet 268 is positioned so that its north end faces the lock plate 238', the card spot 268 must be magnetized so that its north end faces the north end of tumbler 268 (to repel tumbler 268) and the card spot 286 should be magnetized so that its north end faces the south end of tumbler 268' (to attract tumbler 268).

FIGS. 9A and 10 illustrate how a properly coded pass card 280 will unlock the cartridge 220 and permit sliding movement of the core 236 relative to the lock plates 238, 238. When the pass card 280 is inserted into the-card slot 246 (FIG. 9A) its magnetized spots 286 and 286 will align with the magnetic tumblers 268 and 268' respectively, with the north end of spot 286 facing the north end of tumbler 268 to repel the tumbler 268 out of engagement with the locking hole 270 in lock plate 238, and with the north end of spot 286 facing the south end of tumbler 268' to attract the tumbler 268 out of engagement with the locking hole 270' in the lock plate 238. The iron or steel biasing sheet 296 will act as a keeper for the magnetic card spots 286, 286 and will make them stronger.

With the tumblers 268 and 268' repelled and attracted, respectively, out of engagement with their associated locking holes 270 and 270' in lock plates 238 and 238', respectively (FIG. 9A), the pass card 280 may be pushed against the flange 272 on the core 236 to slide the core forwardly (FIG. 10) and actuate any suitable mechanism, such as the striker release mechanism 32 of FIG. 2, for example.

It will be noted that it is not absolutely necessary to provide the spot 286' on the card 280' since the magnetic biasing sheet 296 will always bias the tumbler 268' toward it and away from its associated keeper hole 270' in lock plate 238.

Arrow 288 (FIG. 8) is provided on one end of the card 280 to indicate the end of the card which should be inserted into the cartridge 220. Other indicia (not shown) may be printed on the card to indicate which way the card 280 should face. However, as noted above in connection with the embodiment of FIGS. 1-7, in some installations it may be desirable to have the pass cards unlock the cartridge 220 regardless of which way the card faces when inserted into the cartridge. In such cases, the pass cards should have two sets of spots magnetized thereon in symmetrical locations (in the manner described above, for example, in conjunction with the description of the embodiment of FIGS. 1-7 and the card spots 86, 86' and 860, 860' on card (FIG. 4).

Of course, it is contemplated that magnetic or magnetically responsive cards other than the cards of the type specifically shown and described herein may be employed to operate the cartridge 220.

FIG. 9 illustrates why an improperly coded pass card 380 will not unlock the cartridge 220. Since the card 380 does not have a magnetized spot in alignment with the tumbler 268, and since the magnetized spot 368 opposite tumbler 268 is polarized such that it repels the tumbler 268, both tumblers 286 and 286 are magnetically biased into their respective locking holes 270, 270' in the lock plates 238, 238', thereby preventing sliding movement of the core 36. Only a card having proper magnetic spots at proper locations (e.g., the card 280, FIGS. 9A and 10) will unlock the device 220.

When it is desired to change the code or combination of the lock 220 it is only necessary to remove the complementary lock plates 238, 238' and either reverse their positions in the lock or insert another set of complementary plates (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 8, the lock plates 237, 237' are retained in the lock 220 by means of a bolt 258' which passes through threaded aligned holes provided in tab 340 in outer plate 254, tab 237' in plate 238' and tab 237 in plate 238.

When the cartridge 221 is removed from mounting plate 252 and placed in a horizontal position, with spacer bars 244, 244 on the bottom and outer plate 254 on the top, the bolt 258' may be removed and lock plate 238' may be slid out of its slot between outer plate 254 and core 236 since gravity will cause the tumblers 286, 286 to drop out of the locking holes 270' in plate 238. The locking plate 238 may then be removed by removing the biasing sheet 296 and inverting the cartridge 221 so that the outer plate 254 is on the bottom and spacer bars 244, 244 are on top. If bias sheet 296 is not employed and the mounting plate 252 is used to bias the tumbler magnets toward plate 238, this bias will be removed when the cartridge is removed from the mounting plate.

In installations where it is inconvenient to invert the cartridge 221, insertion of a properly coded pass card will repel the tumbler magnets out of the locking holes 270 in plate 238 to permit removal of the plate 238.

To change the code of the lock cartridge 221 it is not necessary to remove, replace or reposition any of the tumbler magnets 268, 268. In the example illustrated in FIGS. 8-10, simply reversing the positions of the two lock plates 238, 238' would change the code since the tumbler magnets would have the locking holes 270, 270 at opposite ends than previously. Magnet 268 would then have to be attracted out of the locking hole 270 in the plate 238 and magnet 268 would have to be repelled out of the locking hole 270' in the plate 238. Thus, the insertion of the card 280 that was previously properly coded would not unlock the cartridge, while a card having magnetic spots in the same locations as card 280 but with reversed polarities would open the lock.

It will be noted that lock plate 238' has 29 looking holes and one blank spot while plate238 has only one hole corresponding to tumbler magnet 268. This feature will prevent a pass card having more than spots 286 and 286' from opening the lock if a full complement of tumbler magnets are disposed in the core 236. For example, if there were thirty magnets in the core 236 and the lock plates 238 and 238' were placed as shown in FIGS. 8-10, only a card coded with the two spots 286 and 286 would open the look. If a card was inserted with the correct spots 286 and 286 plus other spots, it is probable that one or more of the extra spots would repell one or more of the other twenty-eight magnets carried in the core 236 into one or more of the locking holes 270' in lock plate 238', thereby locking holes 270 in lock plate 238', thereby locking the core against movement.

EMBODIMENT OF FIGS. 11-15 The third preferred embodiment 420 of the locking device of the present invention, illustrated in FIGS. 11-15, also employs a cartridge 421 which is adapted to be mounted on a mounting plate 452 and employed in a door striker release mechanism. The cartridge 421 includes a fixed planar core 436 which is disposed between a pair of movable lock plates 438, 438'.

Unlike the embodiments of FIGS. 1-7 and 8-10, the core 436 is fixed and the locking plates 438, 438 are slidable. The forward ends of the locking plates 438, 438 are connected in fixed, spaced relationship by means of bolts 439, 439 which are mounted on the forward corners of the lock plate 438 and extend through apertures 439', 439 inthe forward comers of the lock plate 438'. Slots 437, 437 are provided in the forward portions of the side edges of the core 436 to accommodate the bolts 439, 439 for sliding movement with the lock plates 438, 438.

A base plate 442 is provided adjacent to the lock plate 438, and a pair of spacer bars 440, 440 are provided between the upper and lower edges of the base plate 442 and the core 436 to define a slot in which the lock plage 438 is slidable. An outer plate 454 is provided adjacent to the lock plate 438', and spacer bars 440', 440' are provided between the upper and lower edges of the outer plate 454 and the core 436 to define a slot in which the lock plate 438' is slidable.

The base plate 442 and apair of generally L-shaped spacer bars 444, 444 define a card-receiving slot 446 on the side of the base plate 442 opposite the lock plate 438 for receiving a magnetically-coded pass card 480.

The mounting plate 452, like the mounting plate 52 in the embodiment of FIGS. I7 and the mounting plate 252 in the embodiment of FIGS. 8-10, has a forward end wall 528 provided with a spring-loaded latch mechanism 526 which operates like the latch 126 of the device 20 shown in the embodiment of FIGS. l-7. Cut-out portion500 may be provided in the mounting plate 452 to accommodate the end of a eversoz for actuating a striker release mechanism (such as the striker release mechanism 32 shown in FIG. 2, for example) if the cartridge 420 is to be used in conjunction with a door knob mechanism.

Four bolts 458 extend through aligned apertures 445 in the ends of the card slot spacer bars 444, apertures 443 in the corners of the base plate 442, apertures 441 in the ends of spacer bars 440, 440, apertures 435- in the comers of core 436, apertures 441' in the ends of spacer bars 440', 440' and apertures 455 in the comers of the cover plate 454. Cooperating nuts 459 are secured on the'ends of bolts 458 to secure these members together to form the cartridge 421 which is adapted to be encased in a generally rectilinear housing formed by the mounting plate 452 and a sliding cover plate (not shown) similar to the cover plate 54 shown in FIGS. 1-4.

Registration pins 460, 460 mounted on the mounting plate 452 extend through aligned holes 462, 462 in the card slot spacer bars 444, 444 to facilitate positioning of the cartridge 421 on the mounting plate 452. The cover plate (not shown; like the cover plate 54 shown in FIGS. 1-4) is slidably mounted on the mounting plate by means of tongues 544 on the top and bottom edges of the mounting plate and cooperating grooves (not shown) on the top and bottom walls of the cover plate (not shown). This tongue-and-groove structure of the face plate 452 and the cover plate is virtually identical to the tongue-and-groove structure of the face plate 52 and cover plate 54 shown in FIGS. 1-4 and described above in conjunction with the embodiment of FIGS. l-.-7.

A complete matrix of transversely extending holes 466 are provided in the core 436. At least two of the holes 466 carry magnetic pins or tumblers 468 and 468'. These tumblers, 468, 468', like the tumblers 68 and 68 of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-7 and the tumblers 268, 268' of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 8-10, are magnets which are magnetized along their lengths. The tumbler magnets are generally cylindrical in shape and are slidably disposed in their respective holes 466 in the core 436 for transverse sliding movement. By way of example, the tumbler magnet 468 is disposed in its hole 466 in the core 436 with its direction of polarity extending in a direction opposite to the direction of polarity of the tumbler magnet 468'. Thus, as shown in FIGS. 12-15, if the tumbler magnet 468 is inserted in the hole 466 with its north pole facing the lock plate 438 and its south pole facing the lock plate 438, the tumbler magnet 468' is inserted in its hole 466 so that its north pole faces lock plate 438' and its south pole faces lock plate 438.

Of course, both of the tumbler magnets 468 and 468 (or all of the magnets, if more than two are employed) may have the same direction of polarity, if desired.

The lock plates 438, 438 are also provided with a full matrix of locking holes 470 and 470' respectively. Each hole 470 and 470 is in substantial transverse alignment with one of the holes in the core 436, and all of the locking holes are the same diameter.

The cartridge 420 of FIGS. 11-14 is adapted to be programmed by a cooperating pair of thin, flexible, non-magnetic shields 475, and 475, which may be mylar plastic or brass shim sheets, for example. The shields 475, 475 are provided with holes 477, 477 respectively, at predetermined locations. Each of holes 477, 477 is in substantial transverse alignment with one of the holes 466 in the core 436 and the aligned corresponding holes 470, 470' in the lock plates 438, 438, respectively, and the shield holes are of slightly larger diameter than the core holes or the locking plate holes. It should be noted that the pattern of holes 477, 477' in the shields 475, 475' are complementary; that is, there is no hole in either shield 475 or 475 which is in alignment with a hole 477 or .477 in the other shield.

If either of the magnetic tumblers 468 or 468 extends through its associated hole 477 or 477' in one of the shields 475 or 475 and into the associated hole 470 or 470 in one of the lock plates 438 or 438, the lock plates are locked in place, i.e., the lock plates cannot be slid relative to the core 436. If neither of the magnetic tumblers 468 extends through one of the holes 477 or 477' and into the corresponding holes 470 or 470 in the lock plate 438 or 438', the lock plates may be slid relative to the core 436 to actuate any suitable mechanism.

Of course, it is contemplated that the lock plates 438, 438 may be provided with depressions or wells in place of holes 470, 470 for receiving the ends of tumbler magnets 468, 468, such as the depressions or wells shown, for example, in the embodiment of FIGS. l7, described above. Alternatively, any other type of struc ture which will engage the tumblers and prevent sliding movement of the lock plates 438, 438' may be provided on the lock plates.

The lock plates 438 has a right angle flange 472 ex-- tending from its forward end and overlying the forward end of the card slot 446. Movement of the lock plates 438, 438' and the flange 472 may be adapted to actuate the lever 502 of a door striker release mechanism, such as mechanism 32 shown in FIG. 2, for example.

Alternatively, it is contemplated that it may be desired to employ the cartridge 421 in conjunction with some other mechanism which may be actuated by a switch 490 mounted on the outside of the outer plate 454. For this purpose, an actuator arm 492 is mounted on the rear end of the slidable lock plate 438 and extends through a hole in the rear end of the lock plate 438 for actuating the switch 490. Slots 479, 436', 470 and 489 are provided in the rear ends of the shield 475, the core 436, the shield 475 and the outer plate 454, respectively, to accommodate the actuator arm 492 and sliding movement thereof.

When it is desiredto use the magnetic locking cartridge 420 in an installation where the disposition of the cartridge is vertical, such as in conjunction with a door striker release mechanism of the type shown in FIG. 2, it is desirable to use a sheet of magnetic biasing material, such as iron or steel sheet 496 to bias one or both of the tumbler magnets 468 or 468 into one of the holes 470 in the lock plate 438. The provision of such a biasing sheet 496 eliminates the possibility that both of the tumbler magnets 468, 468 will remain in a central position in the core 436, out of all of the locking holes 470, 470' in the lock plates 438, 438'.

The biasing sheet 496 is preferably disposed in the card slot 446 and, as shown in FIG. 11, may be maintained therein by bending the rear edge of the sheet down and under the L-shaped card slot spacer bar 444,

Of course, it is contemplated that the biasing sheet 496 may be eliminated if the mounting plate 452 is made of a suitable magnetic material which will function to attract the tumbler magnets.

As best shown in FIG. 12, the iron or steel biasing sheet 496 will attract all of the tumbler magnets 468, 468 (only two being shown in FIG. 12, for the sake of convenience in description) whereby one of the tumbler magnets 468, will extend through its associated hole 477 in the shield 475 and into the, associated keeper hole 470 in the lock plate 438 to prevent sliding movement of the lock plates.

FIG. 13 illustrates the manner in which a properly coded pass card will operate the locking cartridge 420.

For the sake of convenience. in description, only two tumbler magnets 468 and 468' are shown. It should be appreciated, however, that any number of tumbler magnets, up to 36 (the number of holes in the matrices of the core 436 and the lock plates 438, 438' in the example shown in the embodiment of FIGS. 11-15) may be employed. Of course, more than 36 holes and tumbler magnets may be employed if the size of the core permits; i.e., if the spacing between the magnets is sufficient to prevent magnetic interaction between the magnets.

Referring to FIG. 13, the magnetic tumblers 468 and 468' may be moved out of their respective holes 470 and 470 in the lock plates 438 and 438 by means of a properly coded pass card such as the card 480 shown in FIG. 13. A properly coded pass card is a pass card which has magnetic spots or areas which will align with the magnetic tumblers 468 and 468 to attract or repel the tumblers out of their associated holes in the lock plates 438 and 438'. With all of the magnetic tumblers magnetically biased to positions out of engagement with their respective holes in the lock plates 438, 438, the pass card 480 may be pushed against the flange 472 on the forward end of the lock plate 438 to move the lock plates and the actuator arm 492 (FIG. 11) forwardly and actuate any suitable switch (such as switch 490) or other mechanism (e.g., the striker release mechanism 32 shown in FIG. 2) with which the cartridge 420 is being employed.

The magnetic pass card 480, like the pass cards and 280 described previously above in conjunction with the embodiments of FIGS. I7 and 8-10 may be of the type shown and described in US. Pat. No. 3,611,763. The card 480 includes selected discrete areas or spots 486 and 486' magnetized in a direction perpendicular to the faces of the card so that opposite poles of each spot 486 or 486' extend to opposite faces of the card. The card 480 is coded so that the spots 486 and 486' align with the tumbler magnets 468 and 468, respectively, when the card is inserted into the slot 446; (see dotted lines AA and BB, FIG. 13) .and, as shown in FIG. 13, the directions of polarity of the spots 486 and 486' are such that spot 486 will attract tumbler magnet 468 away from lock plate 438 and locking hole 470' therein, and away from shield 475 and hole 477' therein, and magnetized spot 486 will repel tumbler 468 away from lock plate 438 and the locking hole 470 therein, and away from shield 475 and hole 477 therein. Since the tumbler magnet 468 is positioned so that its north end faces'the lock plate 438 and thetumbler magnet 468' is positioned so that its north end faces the lock plate 438, the spot 486 must be magnetized so that its south end faces the north end of tumbler 468 (to attract tumbler 468) and the spot 486 must be magnetized so that its south end faces the south end of tumbler 468 (to repel tumbler 468').

When the card 480 is present in the slot 446 the iron biasing sheet 496 acts as a keeper for the magnetic spots 486, 486 on the pass card 480, and makes those spots substantially stronger, magnetically.

It will be noted that since the iron biasing sheet 496 will attract the tumbler magnet 468 away from lock plate 438' it is not absolutely necessary that a properly coded pass card be provided with a spot 486.

With the tumblers 468 and 468' repelled and attracted, respectively, out of engagement with their associated holes 470 and 470 in lock plates 438 and 438, respectively, the pass card 480 may be pushed against the flange 472 on the lock plate 438 to actuate any suitable mechanism (striker release mechanism 32 of FIG. 2 or the switch 490, FIG. 11).

Arrow 488 (FIG/11) is provided on one end of the card 480 to indicate the end of the card which is to be inserted into the cartridge 420. Other indicia (not shown) may be printed on the card to indicate which way the card should face. However, as noted above in connection with the embodiments of FIGS. 1-7 and 8-10, the pass card may be provided with two sets of magnetized spots so that the pass card will open the lock regardless of which way the card is facing.

FIG. 14 illustrates why an improperly coded pass card 580 will not unlock the cartridge 420. Since the card 580 does not have a magnetized spot in alignment with the tumbler 468" and since the magnetized spot S86 opposite tumbler 468 is polarized in a direction such that it repels the tumbler 468, both tumblers 468 and 468' are magnetically biased through holes 477, 477 in shields 475, 475 and into keeper holes 470, 470' in the lock plates 438, 438 thereby preventing sliding movement of the lock plates.

The shields 475, 475 remain fixed in the cartridge 421 with their holes 477, 477' in alignment with their associated holes 466 in the core 436 by means of a retaining pin 483 (FIG. 11) which extends through aligned holes 481, 481' in the forward ends of the shields. The shields do not move with the locking plates 438, 438.

When it is desired to change the code combination of the lock 420 it is only necessary to reverse the positions of the shields 475, 475' or to remove the shields and replace them with another set of complementary shields (not shown).

FIG. 15 illustrates one manner in which the shields 475, 475 may be changed. When no pass card is in the slot 446, the iron biasing plate 496 attracts all of the magnets 468, 468' toward the lock plate 438, thereby permitting removal of the shield 475. When the shield 475' has been removed, another iron or steel biasing plate 498 may be inserted between the lock plate 438 and the outer plate 454 to attract the tumbler magnets 468, 468' toward the lock plate 438 as shown in FIG. 15. Thereafter, the shield 475 may be removed and replacedyand, thereafter, the change plate 498 may be removed and a new shield may be inserted between the core 436 and the lock plate 438'.

Of course, other methods (e.g., methods similar to those described above in connection-with the embodiment of FIGS. 8-10) may be employed to replace the shields and thereby re-code or re-program the lock.

The use of the locking device shown in FIGS. 11-l5 offer advantages in addition 'to those previously mentioned. The replaceable shields are relatively inexpensive and may be made by any user of the lock, thereby making the lock programmable by the user.

EMBODIMENT OF FIGS. 16-18 One of the advantages of magnetic locking devices of the present invention is that they will operate in any position (i.e., horizontal, vertical, up-side-down, etc.). This feature of the present invention renders the improved magnetic locking device useful in conjunction with movable devices, such as padlocks, chests, fumiture, etc.

FIGS. 16l8 illustrate the manner in which a locking device constructed according to the teachings of the present invention may be employed in conjunction with a padlock 600. The padlock 600 includes a body portion 602 which receives a shackle 604 having a long leg 606 and a short leg 608. The long leg 606 is disposed in an elongated channel 609 on one side of the padlock body 602 and the short leg 608 has its end portion received in a relatively short channel 610'on the other side of the body 602. The shackle 604 is maintained in its locking position (the position shown in FIG. 16) by a locking pin 61 1 which has one end 612 thereof engaging a locking notch 613 on the long leg 606. The other end of the locking pin 611 is disposed in a guide slot 614 in the interior wall of the padlock body 602. The

. locking pin has a radially projecting stub 615 thereon,

and a coiled spring 616 is disposed around the locking pin between the stub 615 and the interior wall of the padlock body 602 for biasing the forward end 612 of the locking pin into the keeper notch 613.

The bottom end 617 of the long leg 606 of the shackle 604 is of reduced diameter and a compression spring 618 is disposed around the reduced end 617 within the bottom portion of the channel 609 for biasing the shackle upwardly. Thus, when the spring biased locking pin 61 l is moved to the right (as viewed in FIG. 16) to remove the forward end 612 from the notch 613 in the shackle, the shackle will be forced upwardly by spring 618, to raise theshort end 608 out of the short channel 610. q

A second pin 619 may be provided in a channel 612 in the upper portion of the padlock body 602, for engaging the locking notch 613 of the shackle 604 when the shackle is raised. The second pin 619 is biased into engagement with the shackle leg 609 by a spring 623, and the forward end of the second pin 619 is provided with a cam surface 625. When the shackle is forced downwardly, the upper edge of locking notch 613 will force the cammed end 625 of pin 619 to the right (as viewed in FIG. 16) to permit re-locking of the padlock by locking pin 61].

The padlock 600 may be unlocked by a V-shaped actuator lever 627 which is pivotably mounted on the interior wall of padlock body 602 by a pin 629. One arm 631 of the lever 627 engages the stub 615 on the locking pin 611, and the other arm 633 is adapted to be engaged by the flanges 639, 639 (FIG. 18) on movable locking plates 638, 638 when a properly coded card 680 is inserted in a magnetic locking cartridge 620, described below.

The magnetic locking cartridge 620, constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention, may be employed to lock and permit selective unlocking of the padlock 600. The locking cartridge 620, includes a fixed core 636 (FIG. 18) sandwiched between a pair of slidable lock plates 638, 638'. A pair of spaced plates 642, 644 disposed adjacent the lock plate 638 define a card receiving slot 646 therebetween for receiving a magnetically-coded card 680 which is adapted to unlock the locking cartridge 620 and open the padlock.

A matrix of transversely extending holes 666 are provided in the core 636. At least two of the holes 666 and 666' carry magnetic pins or tumblers 668, 668 respectively. The tumblers 668, 668', like the tumblers of the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1-15 are magnets which are magnetized along their lengths with opposite poles at opposite ends of each magnet. These tumbler magnets are generally cylindrical in shape and are slidably disposed in their respective holes 666, 666 in the core 636 for transverse sliding movement. By way of example, the tumbler magnets 668, 668' are disposed in their respective holes 666 and 666 in the core 636 with their directions of polarity extending in opposite directions. Thus, as shown in FIG. 18, if the tumbler magnet 668 is inserted in the hole 666 with its north pole facing the lock plate 638 and its south pole facing lock plate 638', the tumbler magnet 668' is inserted in its hole 666 in core 636 so that its north pole faces lock plate 638' and its south pole faces lock plate 638.

As best shown in FIG. 18, the lock plates 638, 638' have extensions 639, 639', respectively, thereon which are bent at right angles and joined together (e.g., by welding) to form a flange which overlies the end of card slot 646. Thus, a properly coded pass card 680 inserted in the slot 646 to repel and/or attract the tumbler magnets out of their associated holes inthe lock plates 638, 638' may be pushed forwardly to engage the flanges 639, 639 and move the lock plates 638, 638' upwardly in the padlock body 602.

The lock plates 638, 638' are provided with locking holes 670 and 670, respectively, each hole being in substantial transverse alignment with one of the holes in the fixed core 636. It should be noted that the pattern of holes 670, 670' in the lock plates 638, 638' are complementary; that is, there is no hole in either plate 638, 638' which is in alignment with a hole 670 or 670 in the other plate.

If one or both of the magnetic tumblers 668 or 668' (FIG. 18) extends into its associated locking hole 670 or 670' in one of the lock plates 638 or 638, the plates are locked in place, i.e., the plates 638, 638 cannot be slid relative to the core 636. If neither of the tumblers 668 or 668' extends into its associated hole 670 or 670' the lock plates 638, 638 may be slid relative to the core 636 to rotate the actuator lever 627 in a'clockwise direction (as viewed in FIG. 16). As the actuator lever rotates clockwise, the arm 631 moves the stub 615 and the forward end 612 of locking pin 611 to the right (as viewed in FIG. 16) to permit spring 618 to raise the shackle 604 and unlock the padlock 600.

It is contemplated that the lock plates 638, 638 may be provided with wells or depressions in place of holes 670, 670, for receiving the ends of tumblers 638 and 638', such as the depressions shown, for example. in the embodiment of FIGS. 1-7 described above. Alternatively, any other type of structure which will engage the tumblers and prevent sliding movement of the lock plates 638, 638' may be provided on the lock plates.

The plate 644 is preferably constructed of magnetic material, such as iron or steel, to bias the tumbler magnet 668 into its associated hole 670 in the lock plate 638. The provision of such a biasing plate eliminates the possibility that both of the tumbler magnets 668, 668' will remain in a central position in the core 636, out of the keeper holes 670, 670 in the lock plates 638, 638', and also insures that the lock cartridge 620 will operate properly regardless of the position of the padlock (e.g., horizontal, vertical, etc.)

The remainder of the padlock body and the plate 642 are made of non-magnetic material.

When there is no card in the card slot 646 of cartn'dge 620, both of the tumblers 668 and 668 will be biased toward the lock plate 638 by the magnetic plate 644 and the north end of the tumbler 668 will extend into the keeper hole 670 in the lock plate 638 to prevent sliding movement of the locking plates 638, 638' relative to the fixed core 636.

Before proceeding to a description of the operation of the locking device of FIGS. 16-18, it should be noted that it is only by way of example and for the sake of convenience of description that only two tumbler magnets 668, 668 are shown. More tumblers, up to nine tumblers (the number of holes in the matrix of core 636) may be employed. Of course, more tumbler magnets may be employed if the core 636 is large enough to provide sufficient spacing between the magnets to avoid magnetic interaction therebetween.

The magnetic tumblers 668 and 668 may be moved out of their respective holes 670 and 670' in the lock plates 638 and 638' by means of a properly coded card, such as the card 680. A properly coded pass card is a pass card which has magnetic spots or areas which will align with the magnetic tumblers 668 and 668' to attract or repel the tumblers out of their associated holes in the lock plates 638, 638. With the magnetic tumblers magnetically biased to positions out of engagement withtheir respective holes in the lock plates, the pass card 680 may be pushed against flanges 639, 639' of lock plates 638, 638 which, in turn, engage the arm 633 of lever 627 to pivot the lever and move the forward end 612 of locking pin 611 out of engagement with keeper notch 613 in shackle end 609, whereby the spring 618 can raise the shackle and unlock the padlock 600. Y

The magnetic pass card 680 (like the pass cards shown in conjunction with the embodiments of FIGS. 1-7, 8-10 and 11-15) may be of the type shown and described in US. Pat. No. 3,61 1,763. The card 680 includes a relatively thin sheet 682 of plasticized binder material having ferromagnetic particles suspended therein, such as a bonded barium ferrite composite material. The composite sheet 682 is preferably sandwiched between two cover sheets 684, 684 and has selected discrete areas or spots 686 and 686' magnetized in a direction perpendicular to the faces of the sheet 602 so that opposite poles of each such spot 686 or 686 extend to opposite faces of the sheet 682. The card 680 is coded so that the spots 686 and 686 align with tumbler magnets 668 and 668', respectively, when the card 680 is inserted into slot 646, and the directions of polarity of the spots 686 and 686 are such that spot 686 will repel tumbler 668 away from lock plate 638 and the locking hole 670 therein, and magnetized spot 686' will attract tumbler 668' away from the lock plate 638' and the locking hole 670' therein. For example, since the tumbler magnet 668 is positioned so that its north end faces the lock plate 638, and the tumbler magnet 668 is positioned so that its north end faces the lock plate 638', the spot 686 must be magnetized so that its north end faces the north end of tumbler 668 (to repel tumbler 668) and the spot 686' should be magnetized so that its north end faces the south end of tumbler 668' (to attract tumbler 668).

FIG. 18 illustrates how a properly coded pass card 680 will unlock the cartridge 620 and permit sliding movement of the lock plates 638, 638' relative to the core 636. When the pass card 680 is inserted into the card slot 646 its magnetized spots 686 and 686 will align with the magnetic tumblers 668 and 668', respectively, with the north end of spot 686 facing the north end of tumbler 668 to repel the tumbler 668 out of en-' gagement with the keeper hole 670 in lock plate 638, and with the north end of spot 686' facing the south end of tumbler 668' to attract the tumbler 668 out of engagement with the keeper hole 670 in the lock plate 638'.

With the tumblers 668 and 668i repelled and attracted, respectively, out of engagement with their associated holes 670 and 670' in lock plates 638 and 638', respectively, the pass card 680 may be pushed against the flanges 639, 639' to move the flanges and free locking plates 638, 638' forwardly to pivot the actuator lever 627 and unlock the padlock 600.

It will be noted that it is not absolutely necessary to provide the spot 686' on the card 680' since the magnetic biasing plate 644 will always bias the tumbler 668 toward it and away from its associated keeper hole 670 in look plate 638'. I

If it is desired to have pass cards unlock the cartridge 620 regardless of which way the card faces when in serted into the cartridge, the pass cards 680 should have two sets of spots magnetized thereon so that one set of spots will repel and attract the tumbler magnets 668 and 668' out of engagement with their associated locking holes 670 and 670 in the lock plates 638, 638' when the card 680 is facing one way and the other set of spots will do the same when the card is facing the other way. As discussed above in conjunction with the embodiments of FIGS. 1-15, this may be accomplished by having each spot of the second set located on the card in symmetry to a corresponding spot of the first set, relative to the longitudinal and transverse centerlines of the card.

Of course, it is contemplated that magnetic or magnetically responsive cards other than the cards of the type specifically shown and described herein may be employed to operate the padlock cartridge 620.

SUMMARY It should be noted that it has been only for the sake of convenience of description that the tumbler-carrying cores 36, 236, 436 and 636 of the locks 20, 220 420 and 620, respectively, have been shown in the drawings and described above as having only a few functional tumbler magnets. The security of each lock is greatly enhanced by providing a full matrix (e.g., 36) of tumbler magnets. With a full matrix of tumbler-magnets each card for opening the lock would have to be coded with a full array of magnetic spots. Some of these spots would be magnetized to repel some of the tumbler mag-' nets and the remaining spots would be magnetized to attract all of the other tumbler magnets in the core. It would then be virtually impossible to counterfeit or duplicate a card to open the lock. Even if all of the magnetic spots on a properly coded card were made visible (e.g., by the use of iron filings) there would still be no way for anyone trying to break the code to tell which of the spots were designed to repel tumbler magnets and which were designed to attract the magnets.

With a full (or partially full) matrix of tumbler magnets provided in a lock of the present invention the lock cannot be opened by any so-called full matrix card (i.e.,a card having a full matrix of spots to repel all magnets in the core), except a card coded for the specific code series designed to operate the lock. This may" be appreciated by referring to FIG. 9A, for example. Assume that magnetic tumblers 268, 268' are provided in all 'six of the tumbler holes or channels 266 shown in FIG. 9A in the core 236 of cartridge 221. Any card having only correct spots 286, 286 thereon (such as card 280) will unlock the cartridge. However, a card having spots 286, 286' and one or more additional spots which will repel one of the other tumbler magnets (not shown) into one of the openings 270' 'in lock plate 238, such as a so-called full-matrix card, for example, will lock thecartridge 221.

A master card may be provided for the lock cartridge 221 by coding the master card so that (1) it has spots positioned and magnetized like spots 286, 286' of card 280, FIG. 9A; and (2) any added or extra correct spots will not repel a magnet into a locking hole 270 in lock plate 238 when card 280 is secured into the cartridge. This may be accomplished by eliminating those holes 270 in lock plate 238' which would align with any of the extra spots (other than spots 286, 286') on the mas.- ter card, and/or by eliminating those tumbler magnets 268,268 which would align with the extra spots, or,

where shields are used to program the cartridge, by leaving blank-or non-hole areas on the shield where non-locking magnets are positioned.

The use of locking plates having locking depressions or holes of equal size adds still another dimension of security to the lock of the present invention. This feature prevents unlocking of the cartridge by turning it upside down or by striking a sharp blow on the top of the cartridge and jamming a foreign object into it.

While the tumbler magnets 68, 68; 268, 268'; 468, 468'; and 668, 668 in the embodiments of FIGS. 1-7, 8-10, 11-15 and 16-18, respectively, have been shown and described above as having different directions of polarity, it is contemplated, of course, that all of the magnets in each cartridge may be magnetized with the same direction of polarity, if desired.

I It is contemplated of course that numerous modifications may be made to the specific embodiments shown in the drawings and described above without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly,

it is intended that the scope of the invention will be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a door and door lock mechanism comprising a door, an abutment extending through a side edge of said door, a door jamb in which said door is swingably mounted, and a striker in said door jamb in substantial alignment with said abutment for engaging said abutment and preventing said door from opening; the improvement comprising: a card-operable magnetic lock mechanism for releasing said striker and permitting said door to be opened; said mechanism comprising means normally maintaining said striker in the path of said abutment when the door is urged in an opening direction, releasing means for releasing said striker to permit said door to be opened, and a card-operable magnetic lock mounted on said door jamb for actuating said releasing means upon the'insertion into said lock of a properly coded card; said card-operable magnetic lock comprising a core member; a magnetic tumbler movably disposed in said core member; a pair of locking members disposed on either side of said core members so as to sandwich said, core member therebetween; each of said locking members having an opening therein for receiving a portion of said magnetic tumbler to prevent relative sliding movement between said core member and said locking members; said magnetic tumbler being movable in said core member between a locking position wherein a portion of said tumbler extends into said opening in one of said locking members, and an unlocked position wherein said tumbler does not extend into an opening in either of said locking members; said magnetic tumbler being adapted to be moved into its said unlocked position by magnetic means on a properly coded card inserted in said lock; and means responsive to insertion into said lock of a properly coded card to actuate said striker releasing means and permit opening of said door.

2. In combination with a door and door lock mechanism comprising a door, an abutment extending through a side edge of said door, a door jamb in which said door is swingably mounted, and a striker in said door jamb in substantial alignment with said abutment for engaging said abutment and preventing said door from opening; the improvement comprising: a magnetic lock mechanism for releasing said striker and permitting said door to be opened; said magnetic lock mechanism comprising means normally maintaining said striker in the path of said abutment when the door is urged in an opening direction, releasing means for releasing said striker to permit said door to be opened, and a magnetic lock for actuating said releasing means upon the insertion into said lock of a properly coded key; said magnetic lock comprising means defining a key-receiving slot therein; a pair of spaced locking members and a tumbler-carrying member disposed on one side of said slot; said tumbler carrying member being sandwiched between said locking members; a plurality of magnetic tumblers movably disposed in said tumbler carrying member; each of said locking members having at least one opening therein; each of said magnetic tumblers being slidable in said tumblercarrying member between a locking position wherein a portion of said tumbler extends into one of said openings in one of said locking members, and an unlocked position wherein said tumbler does not extend into an opening in either of said locking members; magnetic means disposed on the other side of said slot and attracting at least one of said magnetic tumblers into its said locking position with one of said locking members said slot being adapted to receive a key member having magnetic means thereon which will repel said one magnetic tumbler out of its said locking position; and means responsive to insertion into said key-receiving slot of a properly coded key member to actuate said striker releasing means and pennit opening of the door.

3. In combination with a door and door lock mechanism comprising a door, an abutment extending through a side edge of said door, a door jamb in which said door is swingably mounted, and a striker in said door jamb in substantial alignment with said abutment for engaging said abutment and preventing said door from opening; the improvement comprising: a magnetic lock mechanism for releasing said striker and permitting said door to be opened; said magnetic lock mechanism comprising means normally maintaining said striker in the path of said abutment when the door is urged in an opening direction, releasing means for releasing said striker to permit said door to be opened, and a magnetic lock for actuating said releasing means upon the insertion into said lock of a properly coded key; said magnetic lock comprising: a pair of spaced I locking members; a generally planar core member sandwiched between said locking members; said core having a plurality of channels extending therethrough; a magnetic tumbler slidably disposed in each of said channels; each of said locking members having at least one opening therein in alignment with a channel in said core member for receiving a portion of the magnetic tumbler in said channel; said openings in said locking members being of substantially the same size; whereby relative sliding movement between said core member and said locking plates is prevented if any of said magnetic tumblers extends into an opening in one of said locking members.

4. In combination with a door and door lock mechanism comprising a door, an abutment extending through a side edge of said door, a door jamb in which said door is swingably mounted, and a striker in said door jamb in substantial alignment with said abutment for engaging said abutment and preventing said door from opening; the improvement comprising: a magnetic lock mechanism for releasing said striker and permitting said door to be opened; said magnetic lock mechanism comprising means normally maintaining said striker in the path of said abutment when the door is urged in an opening direction, releasing means for releasing said striker to permit said door to be opened,

and a magnetic lock for actuating said releasing means upon the insertion into said lock of a properly coded key; said magnetic lock comprising: a generally planar core member having a plurality of openings extending therethrough, each of said openings being adapted to slidably receive a tumbler magnet; a first locking plate disposed adjacent one face of said core member; a second locking plate disposed adjacent the other face of said core member; a plurality of tumbler magnets slidably disposed in said openings in said core member; means defining at least one opening in said first locking plate in substantial alignment with one of said tumbler magnets in said core member; means defining at least one opening in said second locking plate in substantial alignment with a second of said tumbler magnets in said core member; said opening in said locking plates being adapted to receive portions of the tumbler magnets with which they are aligned to prevent relative sliding movement between said core member and said locking plates; each of said tumbler magnets being slidable in its opening in said core member between a locking position wherein a portion of said magnet extends into one of said openings in one of said locking plates, and an unlocked position wherein said magnet does not extend into an opening in either of said locking plates; magnetic biasing means spaced from said second locking plate and attracting said tumbler magnets toward said second locking plate, whereby a portion of at least one of said tumbler magnets extends into one of said openings in said second locking plate to prevent relative sliding movement between said core and said second locking plate; and means defining a key opening between said magnetic biasing means and said second locking plate for receiving a key having at least one magnetized portion thereon for repelling at least said one tumbler magnet away from said second locking plate to permit relative sliding movement between said core member and said second locking plate.

5. In combination with a door and door lock mechanism comprising a door, an abutment extending through a side edge of said door, a door jamb in which said door is swingably mounted, and a striker in said door jamb in substantial alignment with said abutment for engaging said abutment and preventing said door from opening; the improvement comprising: a magnetic lock mechanism for releasing said striker and permitting said door to be opened; said magnetic lock mechanism comprising means normally maintaining said striker in the path of said abutment when the door is urged in an opening direction, releasing means for releasing said striker to permit said door to be opened, and a magnetic lock for actuating said releasing means upon insertion into said lock of a properly coded key; said magnetic lock comprising: a core member having a plurality of openings extending therethrough, each of said openings being adapted to slidably receive a locking magnet; a first locking member disposed on one side of said core member; a second locking member disposed on the other side of said core member; at least two locking magnets slidably disposed in two of said openings in said core member; abutment means on said first locking member in substantial alignment with one of said locking magnets in said core member, and abutment means on said second locking member in substantial alignment with another of said locking magnets in said core member; said abutment means on said locking members being adapted to be engaged by portions of the locking'magnets with which'they are aligned to prevent relative sliding movement between said core and said locking members; each of said locking magnets being slidable in its opening in said core member between a locking position wherein a portion of said magnet engages said abutment means on one of said locking members; and an unlocked position wherein said magnet does not engage-any of said abutment means; magnetic biasing means spaced from said second locking member and attracting said locking magnets toward said second locking member, whereby a portion of at least one of said locking magnets engages said abutment means on said second locking member; means defining a key opening between said magnetic biasing means and said second locking member for receiving a key having a magnetized portion thereon for moving at least said one locking magnet away from said abutment means on said second locking member to permit relative sliding movement between said core member and said second locking member; and a housing mounting said magnetic lock on the doorjamb adjacent to the striker; said housing comprising a mounting plate secured to said door jamb adjacent to said striker opening; a cover plate; and an end wall on one of said mounting plate or said cover plate extending between said mounting plate and said cover plate; means securing said cover plate on said mounting plate; and a slot in said end wall for permitting a card to be inserted into said lock.

6. In a door and door lock mechanism comprising a door, an abutment extending through a side edge of said door, a door jamb in which said door is swingably mounted, an opening in said door jamb and a striker in said door jamb opening in substantial alignment with said abutment for engaging said abutment and preventing said door from opening, and release means for releasing said striker to permit said door to be opened; the improvement comprising: a card-operable lock for releasing said striker and permitting said door to be opened; and a housing mounting said card-operable lock on the door jamb adjacent to the striker; said housing comprising a mounting plate secured to said door jamb adjacent to said striker opening; a cover plate; and an end wall on one of said mounting plate or said cover plate extending between said mounting plate and said cover plate; means securing said cover plate on said mounting plate; and a slot in said end wall for permitting a card to be inserted into said lock.

7. The combination according to claim 6, and further comprising a second end wall on one of said mounting plate or said cover plate extending between said mounting plate and said cover plate; and wherein said securing means includes a latch rotatably mounted on said second end wall and an opening in the other of said mounting plate or said cover plate for receivingthe end portion of said latch.

8. A magnetic lock comprising means defining a card-receiving slot therein; a tumbler-carrying member; a first locking member disposed on one side of said tumbler-carrying member between said tumblercarrying member and said slot; at least one opening in said first locking member; a plurality of magnetic tumblers movably disposed in aid tumbler-carrying member; magnetic means disposed on the other side of said card-receiving slot and attracting all of said magnetic tumblers toward said first locking member, said magnetic means attracting a first one of said magnetic tumblers'into said opening in said first locking member to prevent relative movement between said tumblercarrying member and said first locking member; a second locking member disposed on the other side of said tumbler-carrying member; said second locking member having at least one opening therein for receiving a second one of said magnetic tumblers; and shield means disposed between said tumbler-carrying member and one of said locking members for blocking at least one of said magnetic tumblers from extending into said opening in said locking member; said card-receiving slot being adapted to receive a card having magnetic means which will repel said first magnetic tumbler out of said opening in said locking member to permit relative movement between said tumbler-carrying member and said locking member.

9. A magnetic lock comprising means defining a keyreceiving station; a tumbler-carrying member and a locking member disposed adjacent to said station; a plurality of magnetic tumblers movably disposed in said tumbler-carrying member; locking means on said locking member adapted to cooperate with said tumblers to prevent relative movement between said tumblercarrying member and said locking member; said keyreceiving station being adapted to receive a key member having magnetic means which will magnetically bias said magnetic tumblers out of locking engagement with said locking member; and shield means disposed between said tumbler-carrying member and said locking member for preventing at least one of said magnetic tumblers from engaging said locking means on said locking member.

10. A magnetic lock comprising: a pair of spaced locking plates; a generally planar core member sandwiched between said locking plates; said core having a plurality of channels extending therethrough; a magnetic tumbler slidably disposed in each of said channels; each of said locking plates having a plurality of openings therein in alignment with said channels in said core member for receiving the end portions of the magnetic tumblers in said core member to prevent relative sliding movement between said core member and said locking plates; and a shield disposed between said core member and each of said locking plates for preventing at least some of said tumblers from being moved into the openings in said locking plates.

11. A magnetic lock according to claim wherein each of said shield has at least one hole therein between and in alignment with said core channel and a locking plate opening for permitting the tumbler in said channel to extend through said hole and into said locking plate opening.

12. A magnetic lock according to claim 11 .wherein said holes in one of said shields are out of alignment with the holes in the other of said shields.

13. In a padlock comprising a body portion and a shackle movable between a locked position and an unlocked position, means normally maintaining said shackle in said locked position, an actuator means moving said maintaining means to permit said shackle to be moved to said unlocked position the, improvement comprising: a card-operable magnetic lock mounted in said body portion for actuating said actuator means upon the insertion into said lock of a properly coded card; said magnetic lock comprising means defining a key-receiving slot therein; a pair of spaced locking members and a tumbler-carrying member dismagnetic means disposed on the other side of said slot and attracting at least one of said magnetic tumblers into its said locking position with one of said locking members; said slot being adapted to receive a key member having magnetic means thereon which will repel said one magnetic tumbler out of its said locking position; and means responsive to insertion into said key-receiving slot of a properly coded key member to actuate said striker releasing means and permit opening of the door.

14. A magnetic lock comprising: a pair of spaced locking plates; a generally planar core member sandwiched between said locking plates; said core having a plurality of channels extending therethrough; a magnetic tumbler slidably disposed in each of said channels; each of said locking plates having at least one opening therein in alignment with a channel in said core member for receiving a portion of the magnetic tumbler in said channel; said openings in said locking plates being of substantially the same size; whereby relative sliding movement between said core member and said locking plates is prevented if any of said magnetic tumblers extends into an opening in one of said locking plates. I

15. A magnetic lock according to claim 14, wherein said magnetic lock comprises means defining slots on either side of said core member, and wherein-said locking plates are removably disposed in said slots.

16. A magnetic lock according to claim 14, wherein said locking plates are connected to one another in fixed, spaced relationship.

17. A magnetic lock according to claim 16, wherein said locking plates are disposed in said lock for sliding movement relative to said core member when said magnetic tumbler does not extend into any of the openings in either of said locking plates.

18. A magnetic lock according to claim 14, wherein said core member is disposed in said lock for sliding movement relative to said locking plates when said magnetic tumbler does not extend into any of the openings in either of said locking plates.

19. A magnetic lock comprising: a generally planar core member having a plurality of openings extending therethrough, each of said openings being adapted to slidably receive a tumbler magnet; a first locking plate disposed adjacent one face of said core member; a second locking plate disposed adjacent the other face of core member; said opening in said locking plates being adaptedto receive portions of the tumbler magnets 

1. In a door and door lock mechanism comprising a door, an abutment extending through a side edge of said door, a door jamb in which said door is swingably mounted, and a striker in said door jamb in substantial alignment with said abutment for engaging said abutment and preventing said door from opening; the improvement comprising: a card-operable magnetic lock mechanism for releasing said striker and permitting said door to be opened; said mechanism comprising means normally maintaining said striker in the path of said abutment when the door is urged in an opening direction, releasing means for releasing said striker to permit said door to be opened, and a card-operable magnetic lock mounted on said door jamb for actuating said releasing means upon the insertion into said lock of a properly coded card; said cardoperable magnetic lock comprising a core member; a magnetic tumbler movably disposed in said core member; a pair of locking members disposed on either side of said core members so as to sandwich said core member therebetween; each of said locking members having an opening therein for receiving a portion of said magnetic tumbler to prevent relative sliding movement between said core member and said locking members; said magnetic tumbler being movable in said core member between a locking position wherein a portion of said tumbler extends into said opening in one of said locking members, and an unlocked position wherein said tumbler does not extend into an opening in either of said locking members; said magnetic tumbler being adapted to be moved into its said unlocked position by magnetic means on a properly coded card inserted in said lock; and means responsive to insertion into said lock of a properly coded card to actuate said striker releasing means and permit opening of said door.
 2. In combination with a door and door lock mechanism comprising a door, an abutment extending through a side edge of said door, a door jamb in which said door is swingably mounted, and a striker in said door jamb in substantial alignment with said abutment for engaging said abutment and preventing said door from opening; the improvement comprising: a magnetic lock mechanism for releasing said striker and permitting said door to be opened; said magnetic lock mechanism comprising means normally maintaining said striker in the path of said abutment when the door is urged in an opening direction, releasing means for releasing said striker to permit said door to be opened, and a magnetic lock for actuating said releasing means upon the insertion into said lock of a properly coded key; said magnetic lock comprising means defining a key-receiving slot therein; a pair of spaced locking members and a tumbler-carrying member disposed on one side of said slot; said tumbler carrying member being sandwiched between said locking members; a plurality of magnetic tumblers movably disposed in said tumbler carrying member; each of said locking members having at least one opening therein; each of said magnetic tumblers being slidable in said tumbler-carrying member between a locking position wherein a portion of said tumbler extends into one of said openings in one of said locking members, and an unlocked position wherein said tumbler does not extend into an opening in either of said locking members; magnetic means disposed on the other side of said slot and attracting at least one of said magnetic tumblers into its said locking position with one of said lOcking members said slot being adapted to receive a key member having magnetic means thereon which will repel said one magnetic tumbler out of its said locking position; and means responsive to insertion into said key-receiving slot of a properly coded key member to actuate said striker releasing means and permit opening of the door.
 3. In combination with a door and door lock mechanism comprising a door, an abutment extending through a side edge of said door, a door jamb in which said door is swingably mounted, and a striker in said door jamb in substantial alignment with said abutment for engaging said abutment and preventing said door from opening; the improvement comprising: a magnetic lock mechanism for releasing said striker and permitting said door to be opened; said magnetic lock mechanism comprising means normally maintaining said striker in the path of said abutment when the door is urged in an opening direction, releasing means for releasing said striker to permit said door to be opened, and a magnetic lock for actuating said releasing means upon the insertion into said lock of a properly coded key; said magnetic lock comprising: a pair of spaced locking members; a generally planar core member sandwiched between said locking members; said core having a plurality of channels extending therethrough; a magnetic tumbler slidably disposed in each of said channels; each of said locking members having at least one opening therein in alignment with a channel in said core member for receiving a portion of the magnetic tumbler in said channel; said openings in said locking members being of substantially the same size; whereby relative sliding movement between said core member and said locking plates is prevented if any of said magnetic tumblers extends into an opening in one of said locking members.
 4. In combination with a door and door lock mechanism comprising a door, an abutment extending through a side edge of said door, a door jamb in which said door is swingably mounted, and a striker in said door jamb in substantial alignment with said abutment for engaging said abutment and preventing said door from opening; the improvement comprising: a magnetic lock mechanism for releasing said striker and permitting said door to be opened; said magnetic lock mechanism comprising means normally maintaining said striker in the path of said abutment when the door is urged in an opening direction, releasing means for releasing said striker to permit said door to be opened, and a magnetic lock for actuating said releasing means upon the insertion into said lock of a properly coded key; said magnetic lock comprising: a generally planar core member having a plurality of openings extending therethrough, each of said openings being adapted to slidably receive a tumbler magnet; a first locking plate disposed adjacent one face of said core member; a second locking plate disposed adjacent the other face of said core member; a plurality of tumbler magnets slidably disposed in said openings in said core member; means defining at least one opening in said first locking plate in substantial alignment with one of said tumbler magnets in said core member; means defining at least one opening in said second locking plate in substantial alignment with a second of said tumbler magnets in said core member; said opening in said locking plates being adapted to receive portions of the tumbler magnets with which they are aligned to prevent relative sliding movement between said core member and said locking plates; each of said tumbler magnets being slidable in its opening in said core member between a locking position wherein a portion of said magnet extends into one of said openings in one of said locking plates, and an unlocked position wherein said magnet does not extend into an opening in either of said locking plates; magnetic biasing means spaced from said second locking plate and attracting said tumbler magnets toward said second locking plate, whereby a portion of at least one of said tumbleR magnets extends into one of said openings in said second locking plate to prevent relative sliding movement between said core and said second locking plate; and means defining a key opening between said magnetic biasing means and said second locking plate for receiving a key having at least one magnetized portion thereon for repelling at least said one tumbler magnet away from said second locking plate to permit relative sliding movement between said core member and said second locking plate.
 5. In combination with a door and door lock mechanism comprising a door, an abutment extending through a side edge of said door, a door jamb in which said door is swingably mounted, and a striker in said door jamb in substantial alignment with said abutment for engaging said abutment and preventing said door from opening; the improvement comprising: a magnetic lock mechanism for releasing said striker and permitting said door to be opened; said magnetic lock mechanism comprising means normally maintaining said striker in the path of said abutment when the door is urged in an opening direction, releasing means for releasing said striker to permit said door to be opened, and a magnetic lock for actuating said releasing means upon insertion into said lock of a properly coded key; said magnetic lock comprising: a core member having a plurality of openings extending therethrough, each of said openings being adapted to slidably receive a locking magnet; a first locking member disposed on one side of said core member; a second locking member disposed on the other side of said core member; at least two locking magnets slidably disposed in two of said openings in said core member; abutment means on said first locking member in substantial alignment with one of said locking magnets in said core member, and abutment means on said second locking member in substantial alignment with another of said locking magnets in said core member; said abutment means on said locking members being adapted to be engaged by portions of the locking magnets with which they are aligned to prevent relative sliding movement between said core and said locking members; each of said locking magnets being slidable in its opening in said core member between a locking position wherein a portion of said magnet engages said abutment means on one of said locking members; and an unlocked position wherein said magnet does not engage any of said abutment means; magnetic biasing means spaced from said second locking member and attracting said locking magnets toward said second locking member, whereby a portion of at least one of said locking magnets engages said abutment means on said second locking member; means defining a key opening between said magnetic biasing means and said second locking member for receiving a key having a magnetized portion thereon for moving at least said one locking magnet away from said abutment means on said second locking member to permit relative sliding movement between said core member and said second locking member; and a housing mounting said magnetic lock on the door jamb adjacent to the striker; said housing comprising a mounting plate secured to said door jamb adjacent to said striker opening; a cover plate; and an end wall on one of said mounting plate or said cover plate extending between said mounting plate and said cover plate; means securing said cover plate on said mounting plate; and a slot in said end wall for permitting a card to be inserted into said lock.
 6. In a door and door lock mechanism comprising a door, an abutment extending through a side edge of said door, a door jamb in which said door is swingably mounted, an opening in said door jamb and a striker in said door jamb opening in substantial alignment with said abutment for engaging said abutment and preventing said door from opening, and release means for releasing said striker to permit said door to be opened; the improvement comprising: a card-operable lock for releasing said striker and permitting said door To be opened; and a housing mounting said card-operable lock on the door jamb adjacent to the striker; said housing comprising a mounting plate secured to said door jamb adjacent to said striker opening; a cover plate; and an end wall on one of said mounting plate or said cover plate extending between said mounting plate and said cover plate; means securing said cover plate on said mounting plate; and a slot in said end wall for permitting a card to be inserted into said lock.
 7. The combination according to claim 6, and further comprising a second end wall on one of said mounting plate or said cover plate extending between said mounting plate and said cover plate; and wherein said securing means includes a latch rotatably mounted on said second end wall and an opening in the other of said mounting plate or said cover plate for receiving the end portion of said latch.
 8. A magnetic lock comprising means defining a card-receiving slot therein; a tumbler-carrying member; a first locking member disposed on one side of said tumbler-carrying member between said tumbler-carrying member and said slot; at least one opening in said first locking member; a plurality of magnetic tumblers movably disposed in aid tumbler-carrying member; magnetic means disposed on the other side of said card-receiving slot and attracting all of said magnetic tumblers toward said first locking member, said magnetic means attracting a first one of said magnetic tumblers into said opening in said first locking member to prevent relative movement between said tumbler-carrying member and said first locking member; a second locking member disposed on the other side of said tumbler-carrying member; said second locking member having at least one opening therein for receiving a second one of said magnetic tumblers; and shield means disposed between said tumbler-carrying member and one of said locking members for blocking at least one of said magnetic tumblers from extending into said opening in said locking member; said card-receiving slot being adapted to receive a card having magnetic means which will repel said first magnetic tumbler out of said opening in said locking member to permit relative movement between said tumbler-carrying member and said locking member.
 9. A magnetic lock comprising means defining a key-receiving station; a tumbler-carrying member and a locking member disposed adjacent to said station; a plurality of magnetic tumblers movably disposed in said tumbler-carrying member; locking means on said locking member adapted to cooperate with said tumblers to prevent relative movement between said tumbler-carrying member and said locking member; said key-receiving station being adapted to receive a key member having magnetic means which will magnetically bias said magnetic tumblers out of locking engagement with said locking member; and shield means disposed between said tumbler-carrying member and said locking member for preventing at least one of said magnetic tumblers from engaging said locking means on said locking member.
 10. A magnetic lock comprising: a pair of spaced locking plates; a generally planar core member sandwiched between said locking plates; said core having a plurality of channels extending therethrough; a magnetic tumbler slidably disposed in each of said channels; each of said locking plates having a plurality of openings therein in alignment with said channels in said core member for receiving the end portions of the magnetic tumblers in said core member to prevent relative sliding movement between said core member and said locking plates; and a shield disposed between said core member and each of said locking plates for preventing at least some of said tumblers from being moved into the openings in said locking plates.
 11. A magnetic lock according to claim 10 wherein each of said shield has at least one hole therein between and in alignment with said core channel and a locking plate opening for permitting the tumbler in said channel to extend Through said hole and into said locking plate opening.
 12. A magnetic lock according to claim 11 wherein said holes in one of said shields are out of alignment with the holes in the other of said shields.
 13. In a padlock comprising a body portion and a shackle movable between a locked position and an unlocked position, means normally maintaining said shackle in said locked position, an actuator means moving said maintaining means to permit said shackle to be moved to said unlocked position the improvement comprising: a card-operable magnetic lock mounted in said body portion for actuating said actuator means upon the insertion into said lock of a properly coded card; ; said magnetic lock comprising means defining a key-receiving slot therein; a pair of spaced locking members and a tumbler-carrying member disposed on one side of said slot; said tumbler-carrying member being sandwiched between said locking members; a plurality of magnetic tumblers movably disposed in said tumbler carrying member; each of said locking members having at least one opening therein; each of said magnetic tumblers being slidable in said tumbler-carrying member between a locking position wherein a portion of said tumbler extends into one of said openings in one of said locking members, and an unlocked position wherein said tumbler does not extend into an opening in either of said locking members; magnetic means disposed on the other side of said slot and attracting at least one of said magnetic tumblers into its said locking position with one of said locking members; said slot being adapted to receive a key member having magnetic means thereon which will repel said one magnetic tumbler out of its said locking position; and means responsive to insertion into said key-receiving slot of a properly coded key member to actuate said striker releasing means and permit opening of the door.
 14. A magnetic lock comprising: a pair of spaced locking plates; a generally planar core member sandwiched between said locking plates; said core having a plurality of channels extending therethrough; a magnetic tumbler slidably disposed in each of said channels; each of said locking plates having at least one opening therein in alignment with a channel in said core member for receiving a portion of the magnetic tumbler in said channel; said openings in said locking plates being of substantially the same size; whereby relative sliding movement between said core member and said locking plates is prevented if any of said magnetic tumblers extends into an opening in one of said locking plates.
 15. A magnetic lock according to claim 14, wherein said magnetic lock comprises means defining slots on either side of said core member, and wherein said locking plates are removably disposed in said slots.
 16. A magnetic lock according to claim 14, wherein said locking plates are connected to one another in fixed, spaced relationship.
 17. A magnetic lock according to claim 16, wherein said locking plates are disposed in said lock for sliding movement relative to said core member when said magnetic tumbler does not extend into any of the openings in either of said locking plates.
 18. A magnetic lock according to claim 14, wherein said core member is disposed in said lock for sliding movement relative to said locking plates when said magnetic tumbler does not extend into any of the openings in either of said locking plates.
 19. A magnetic lock comprising: a generally planar core member having a plurality of openings extending therethrough, each of said openings being adapted to slidably receive a tumbler magnet; a first locking plate disposed adjacent one face of said core member; a second locking plate disposed adjacent the other face of said core member; a plurality of tumbler magnets slidably disposed in said openings in said core member; means defining at least one opening in said first locking plate in substantial alignment with one of said tumbler magnets in said core member; means defining at least one opening in said second locking plate in substantial alignment with a second of said tumbler magnets in said core member; said opening in said locking plates being adapted to receive portions of the tumbler magnets with which they are aligned to prevent relative sliding movement between said core member and said locking plates; each of said tumbler magnets being slidable in its opening in said core member between a locking position wherein a portion of said magnet extends into one of said openings in one of said locking plates, and an unlocked position wherein said magnet does not extend into an opening in either of said locking plates; magnetic biasing means spaced from said second locking plate and attracting said tumbler magnets toward said second locking member, whereby a portion of at least one of said tumbler magnets extends into one of said openings in said second locking plate to prevent relative sliding movement between said core and said second locking plate; and means defining a key opening between said magnetic biasing means and said second locking plate for receiving a key having at least one magnetized portion thereon for repelling at least said one tumbler magnet away from said second locking plate to permit relative sliding movement between said core member and said second locking plate.
 20. In a padlock comprising a body portion and a shackle movable between a locked position and an unlocked position, means normally maintaining said shackle in said locked position, and actuator means moving said maintaining means to permit said shackle to be moved to said unlocked position the improvement comprising: a card-operable magnetic lock mounted in said body portion for actuating said actuator means upon the insertion into said lock of a properly coded card; said magnetic lock comprising a pair of spaced locking members; a generally planar core member sandwiched between said locking plates; said core having a plurality of channels extending therethrough; a magnetic tumbler slidably disposed in each of said channels; each of said locking members having at least one opening therein in alignment with a channel in said core member for receiving a portion of the magnetic tumbler in said channel; said openings in said locking members being of substantially the same size, whereby relative sliding movement between said core member and said locking plates is prevented if any of said magnetic tumblers extends into an opening in one of said locking members. 